Traps

Game Elements or game events that kill or damage avatars and units.

Traps are hidden dangers in game environments that can damage people and items, potentially killing or destroying them. Some are diegetically explained as being constructed with the intention of being traps while others are simply dangerous environments. Examples of Traps include pits, falling blocks, lava, fire, acid, steam, machinery, crushing presses, fast-moving vehicles, and collapsing bridges, but many more are possible.

Examples

Example: Platform games such as Super Mario Sunshine and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker are filled with a wide variety of deadly traps.

Example: The tracks in Super Monkey Ball are hovering high above the ground, effectively surrounding the tracks with a Deadly Trap.

Left 4 Dead series Torchlight Ghost Stories

Using the pattern

Maintenance

Damage

Health

Lives

Deadly Traps can be divided into three categories: those that are visible and whose effects are clear, those that can be found by noticing differences from the surrounding environment of the trap, and those that cannot be noticed before they are activated. The first type, exemplified by game elements such as crushers, flame dischargers, and so on that follow a certain pattern in activation, allows the players to choose to try to bypass or deactivate the trap, typically requiring Timing or Rhythm-Based Actions. The second type, exemplified by (badly) camouflaged pits, may instantly kill the player character and thus require the player to be observant of Outstanding Features in the environment. The last type, exemplified by traps activated by counter-weights when picking up objects, creates Surprises but also promotes Memorizing to remember the location of the trap. The last two categories do not have to instantly kill the player character, but can give the player a Time Limit within which to react, thus increasing Tension.

Deadly Traps can be used to limit the players' accessible area, either by acting as a barrier to an area or by setting the entire Inaccessible Area as a Deadly Trap, for example, a lake of acid. When accessible routes are hidden among Deadly Traps and players cannot distinguish between the two, they force players into making Leap of Faith actions. Shrinking Game Worlds can take the form of Deadly Traps, which seal off game areas, e. g., collapsing bridges or cave-ins. Less commonly, Deadly Traps can be used to open up game areas, e. g., a fallen rock exposes a tunnel. This can be used to enforce the Narrative Structure of the game and to create or open up Inaccessible Areas.

Deadly Traps can be used to help Guard goals and can make it possible to achieve Eliminate goals without directly attacking opponents.

Interruptible Actions

Evade

Can Modulate

Enemies, Power-Ups, Rhythm-Based Actions, Units

Can Be Instantiated By

Ability Losses, Damage, Decreased Abilities, Diegetically Tangible Game Items, Environmental Effects, Game Items

Can Be Modulated By

Delayed Effects, Destructible Objects, Diegetically Outstanding Features, Line of Sight, Time Limits

Consequences

Traps add game elements to Game Worlds that threaten players with Penalties of Ability Losses, Decreased Abilities, or Damage that can lead to the loss of Health, Lives and Units. Common objects of Evade goals, Traps give players restricted Movement Limitations within their immediate surrounding and can force players into Maneuvering. Traps that can be activated again and again introduce game elements that are Consumers into Game Worlds.

Depending on whether the trap is known to the player, Traps can cause Tension or Surprises, and those that are triggered but have Delayed Effects can cause Anticipation. Traps that mask themselves as useful Game Items or beneficial Environmental Effects are Red Herrings. Triggered Traps are examples of Ultra-Powerful Events when the activation of the effect is not an Interruptible Action nor is it possible to Evade their effects.

Safe Havens cannot be combined with Traps, since the presence of the Traps would make the locations unsafe.

Can Instantiate

Consumers, Freedom of Choice, Maneuvering, Movement Limitations, Red Herrings, Stimulated Planning, Surprises, Tension, Time Limits, Ultra-Powerful Events

with Destructible Objects

Tactical Planning

Relations

Can Instantiate

Diegetically Tangible Game Items, Freedom of Choice, Penalties, Stimulated Planning, Time Limits

with Delayed Effects

Anticipation

with Destructible Objects

Tactical Planning

Can Modulate

Enemies, Game Worlds, Health, Lives, Power-Ups, Rhythm-Based Actions, Units

Can Be Instantiated By

Ability Losses, Damage, Decreased Abilities, Diegetically Tangible Game Items, Environmental Effects, Game Items

Can Be Modulated By

Delayed Effects, Destructible Objects, Diegetically Outstanding Features, Line of Sight, Time Limits

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

Safe Havens

History

An updated version of the pattern Deadly Traps that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design.

Acknowledgements

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